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At least 1,513 records · Page 84
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NASA NTRS1972

The interstellar redding law in the ultraviolet deduced from filter photometry obtained by the OAO-2 satellite

Filter photometry has been obtained of 16 BO stars at ten effective wavelengths in the range 4250-1430 A. The wavelength dependence of the interstellar reddening law, deduced from a least squares fit of the observed values to the reddening line at each band, is found in satisfactory agreement with that derived by Bless and Savage (1972). Toward the shorter wavelengths the increase of the computed probable error of the slope of the mean reddening line suggests that large fluctuations in the law may occur from star to star. Similar computations, separating main-sequence stars and supergiants, indicate that the large fluctuations of the law appear to be well related to the luminosity of the stars; the supergiants show systematically less extinction, this deficiency becoming large toward the far UV. The small number in the sample however, does not allow a general conclusion to be drawn.

Laget, M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The shape of the interstellar reddening law

The spectral distribution of pairs of stars within the same spectral type and luminosity class, one of which is reddened and the other unreddened is compared. It is assumed that the observed difference between two stars is only attributed to the interstellar medium. Their physical properties, size distribution of particles, geometrical shape, and their location in space are considered.

Laget, M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Interstellar CO in the ultraviolet spectrum of zeta Ophiuchi

Optical methods in the vacuum ultraviolet were used to detect interstellar H2 in the spectrum of epsilon Persei; CO in the spectrum of zeta Ophiuchi was also observed. By contrast with radio results, the regions sampled are small, being one or a few clouds in the line of sight, and isotopic effects are detected in the spectrum.

Smith, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Low intensity H-beta emission from the interstellar medium

Pulsar pulse dispersions and low-frequency absorption of galactic and extragalactic radio sources strongly suggest that the interstellar medium is much more ionized than previously assumed. The search was confined to directions near pulsars because of the additional information provided by the dispersion measure which gives the total number of electrons along the line of sight to the pulsar. Of the four directions in which observations were made, an emission line appears to be present in at least two and possibly three directions. The data are shown from a low galactic latitude direction near the Crab Nebula pulsar. The observing direction was about 9 arcmin off the Crab with the field of view of about 1.5 arcmin. The number of counts was plotted versus the local standard of rest velocity and local standard wavelength of H-beta.

Reynolds, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Lower limit to the interstellar C 12/C 13 ratio in the direction of 20 Tauri.

Results of photoelectric scanning of the spectrum of 20 Tau in the vicinity of 4232 A of interstellar CH(+). From the observed absence of the isotopically shifted line of super 13CH(+) it is deduced that the C 12/C 13 isotopic abundance ratio in this direction is greater than 33, and hence consistent with the terrestrial value.

Vanden Bout, P.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Interstellar sodium lines and the two-component model of galactic H I regions.

The intensities and widths of the interstellar sodium lines are considered as possible discriminants between two different two-component models recently proposed for galactic H I regions. Depending on the model, the observed sodium lines are either formed entirely in the clouds or, alternatively, in both the clouds and the intercloud medium. Present observational evidence is insufficient to distinguish between these two possibilities.

Hobbs, L. M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Interstellar propagation of galactic cosmic-ray nuclei 2 less than or equal to Z less than or equal to 8 in the energy range 10 to 1000 MeV per nucleon.

Analysis of the differential kinetic energy per nucleon spectra of galactic cosmic-ray He, Li, Be, B, C, N, and O with the University of Chicago cosmic-ray telescope on board the IMP-5 satellite in 1969-1970. The ratios He/(C + N + O) and (Li + Be + B)/(C + N + O) obtained from these spectra are found, within errors of about 20%, to be energy-independent over the energy range 10-1000 MeV per nucleon, and equal to about 15 and about 0.25, respectively. These results are compared with discrepancies existing among other measurements of these ratios, and with predictions of a class of steady-state models of cosmic-ray propagation which assume that Li, Be, and B are absent in cosmic-ray sources. The best fits for the present measurements are obtained for models with a source spectrum in the form of a power law in total energy per nucleon, but even these fits are outside the error limits at energies below 100 MeV per nucleon. In the context of the propagation models examined, it is concluded that the observed behavior of these ratios requires an additional mechanism operative at low energies. This mechanism may be adiabatic deceleration of cosmic rays in the solar wind. In order for this mechanism to be adiabatic deceleration, the deceleration in 1969 must have been such that particles observed at 10 to 20 MeV per nucleon had energies greater than 100 to 150 MeV per nucleon in the local interstellar space.

Mason, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

A survey of local interstellar hydrogen from OAO-2 observations of Lyman alpha absorption.

A far UV spectrometer aboard OAO-2 observed the wavelength region near 1216 A for 69 stars of spectral type B2 or earlier. From the strength of the observed interstellar L-alpha absorption, column densities of atomic hydrogen were derived over distances averaging 300 pc away from the sun. Measurements of the equivalent widths of this absorption were found to be inappropriate for deducing column densities because of the blending of nearby strong stellar lines by the 12 A wide instrumental profile of the OAO. Instead, the OAO data were compared with synthetic UV spectra, originally derived from earlier higher-resolution rocket observations, which were computer processed to simulate the effects of absorption by different amounts of hydrogen followed by the instrumental blending.

Savage, B. D.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Cosmic-ray source and local interstellar spectra deduced from the isotopes of hydrogen and helium.

A self-consistent model for cosmic-ray hydrogen and helium propagation from the sources in the Galaxy to the orbit of earth is obtained, taking into account experimental information now available on the isotopes H-1, H-2, He-3, and He-4. The only adjustable parameters include the shape of the energy spectra of H-1 and He-4 at the time of source injection, the distribution of particle path lengths in interstellar space, and the solar modulation parameters. It is found that the allowed form of the source differential spectra of the H-1 and He-4 nuclei is dominated by a power law in total energy.

Comstock, G. M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Interstellar C-12/C-13 ratios toward six stars.

N(C-12)/N(C-13) ratios were measured for interstellar CH(+) molecules toward six stars, using the 4232 A line. The measurements were performed with a spectrometer at the coude focus of a 107-inch telescope with an instrument passband of roughly 0.014 A. The lower bounds of these ratios are 77 for 20 Tau, 20 for 23 Tau, 58 for Xi Per, 52 for Zeta Oph, 20 for P Cyg, and 26 for 55 Cyg.

Hobbs, L. M.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Interstellar hydrogen sulfide.

Hydrogen sulfide has been detected in seven Galactic sources by observation of a single line corresponding to the rotational transition from the 1(sub 10) to the 1(sub 01) levels at 168.7 GHz. The observations show that hydrogen sulfide is only a moderately common interstellar molecule comparable in abundance to H2CO and CS, but somewhat less abundant than HCN and much less abundant than CO.

Thaddeus, P.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Collisional excitation of carbon monoxide in interstellar clouds.

Investigation of different models for the collisional excitation of carbon monoxide (CO) by solving the rate equations for the ten lowest energy levels, including stimulated emission and absorption by 3 K isotropic radiation, spontaneous emission, and collisions. The results are qualitatively applicable to other linear molecules. They show that a wide range of rotational excitation temperatures, including population inversions, can be produced by the various kinetic temperatures and particle densities which are likely to occur in the interstellar regions containing molecules.

Goldsmith, P. F.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Discovery of interstellar circular polarization in the direction of the Crab Nebula.

A search in many small regions of the Crab Nebula has resulted in the detection of a small component of circular polarization. The variation of the sign and magnitude with position in the Nebula indicates that the polarization is of interstellar origin. On the basis of the polarity, strength, and colour dependence, it is concluded that the composition of the aligned grains causing this polarization is dielectric. Metallic particles are clearly ruled out. Some stars have also been observed with negative results.

Martin, P. G.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Interaction of the solar wind with the neutral component of the interstellar gas.

A model is constructed to represent the interaction between the solar wind and the neutral component of the interstellar gas. It is found that the neutral gas has several important effects on the solar-wind expansion beyond the orbit of the earth and that it should be possible to infer the presence of the neutral gas from observations of the solar wind made by a space probe traveling into the outer solar system. The effects include a deceleration and heating of the supersonic solar wind, a cooling of and pressure reduction in the subsonic solar wind, and a tightening of the spiral magnetic field in the supersonic solar wind.

Holzer, T. E.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The heating of interstellar clouds by vibrationally excited molecular hydrogen

The possibility that vibrationally excited H2 may be collisionally de-excited, so providing a heating mechanism for interstellar clouds which operates by coupling the stellar radiation to the gas, is discussed. The majority of excitations in the Lyman and Werner bands of H2 return the molecules to the ground electronic state in a vibrationally excited level, the most favored level being 7. The heating rate obtained in this way is compared with other mechanisms which have been postulated, and the results of calculations of temperature as a function of depth into clouds of different densities are presented. It appears that this mechanism is a significant one, which should be taken into account in detailed models of dense clouds.

Stecher, T. P.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The interstellar molecular hydrogen observed in the ultraviolet spectrum of delta Scorpii

Molecular hydrogen bands of the Lyman and Werner systems were observed in the ultraviolet, interstellar spectrum of delta Sco. The average molecular column density is given, and the average temperature of the gas of which the molecules are part is 47 K. Minimum and maximum gas temperatures are 25 and 98 K respectively. The ratio of the number of hydrogen atoms in molecular form to the total number of hydrogen atoms in either atomic or molecular form is 0.044 (+0.070, -0.018).

Smith, A. M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Investigation of ultraviolet interstellar extinction

Results concerning interstellar extinction in the ultraviolet are reported. These results were initially obtained by using data from main-sequence stars and were extended to include supergiants and emission stars. The principal finding of the analysis of ultraviolet extinction is not only that it is wavelength dependent, but that if changes with galactic longitude in the U3 passband (lambda sub eff = 1621 A); it does not change significantly in the U2 passband (lambda sub eff = 2308 A). Where data are available in the U4 passband (lambda sub eff = 1537 A), they confirm the rapid rise of extinction in the ultraviolet found by other investigators. However, in all cases, emission stars must be used with great caution. It is important to realize that while extinction continues to rise toward shorter wavelengths in the ultraviolet, including the shortest ultraviolet wavelengths measured (1100 A), it no longer plays an important role in the X-ray region (50 A).

Payne, C.↗